Charlie was out in the desert at Palipalintjanya northwest of Puntujarrpa (however, Papunya Tula Artists records Tjulyurunya, west of Kiwirrkurra , as his birthplace circa 1949), Charlie is the son of Pinta Pinta Tjapanangka's older brother Mamutja Tjapanangka (b.

1899 - 1964) and Mamutja's first wife Nangatji Napurrula (b.

circa 1915 - 1972).

Nanyuma Napangati is Charlie's older full sister.

Kanya Tjapangati was his younger half brother and Bombatu Napangati is his half sister.

Although Charlie recalled that he was already 'growing whiskers' when a NT Welfare Branch patrol led by Jeremy Long brought his family into Papunya in 1964, he was not yet initiated.

Before the year was out, Mamutja had passedaway.

After completing the ceremonies of manhood, Charlie married Uta Uta Tjangala's adopted daughter Nguninti (Numida) Nampitjinpa .

At Papunya Charlie worked for rations on the construction of buildings at the settlement.

His country lies in Pintupi territory west of Puntujarrpa (Jupiter Well).

He began painting for Papunya Tula Artists in July 1977, having observed the older men painting while living in West Camp, Papunya.

His large late 1970s canvases in the classic line and circle grid style of Pintupi men's art had an unusual silvery shimmer which pre-dates similar effects in the more minimalist Pintupi men's style of the late 1990s.

He accompanied Billy Stockman and Andrew Crocker to America for an exhibition of the paintings in the Mr Sandman Bring Me a Dream collection that was the initial purchase of Western Desert art by the Holmes a Court Collection.

Stories from the Tingari cycle were the usual subject of his paintings, including the monumental canvas now in the collection of the National Museum of Australia, which was shown in Australian Perspecta '81 at the Art Gallery of NSW, one of the first institutional acts of acknowledgement of Papunya Tula paintings by the Australian contemporary art world.

Andrew Crocker noted in the catalogue notes for the painting Charlie Tjapangati's outstanding ability, particularly in such a young man, for coordinating the labour of a number of other artists on such a large work.

Charlie has often painted the site of Wiyarrunya, a soakage water with two rockholes in a creekbed just west of Puntujarrpa, and Pukurantjinna rockhole site where a large group of Tingari men stayed before travelling east.

In 1982, Charlie moved to the newly established Pintupi settlement of Kintore, having remained behind when his countrymen moved there because of his wife's job in the Papunya Council office.

He lived in Kintore before moving across to Kiwirrkurra where several members of his family still live, and then back to Kintore, where Nanyuma and Bombatu both resided, painting daily for Papunya Tula Artists.

Bombatu, who is the widow of Dini Campbell Tjampitjinpa, began painting for Papunya Tula in 2000.

Another sister, Valerie (Nyuniwa) Napangati, lives at Nyirrpi.

Charlie's foster son Mervyn Tjangala began painting for the company in 2003.

In August 2000, Charlie Tjapangati accompanied a group of four Papunya Tula artists to Sydney to construct a traditional ground painting and attend the opening of Papunya Tula : Genesis and Genius at the Art Gallery of NSW.

He also worked on the 1999 Kintore men's painting created for this occasion.

In 2002, he had a solo exhibition with Scott Livesey Art Dealer in Melbourne following his adoption of the minimalist line drawing style now dominant in Pintupi men's paintings for Papunya Tula Artists.

Over the last 10 years his work has become less frequent but when he does major works they often sell quickly into collectors and public institutions.

He is a very collectable artist and his work is in important collections in Australia and overseas: Artbank.

Robert Holmes a Court Collection.

Victorian Arts Centre.

The Kelton Foundation Collection.

National Gallery of Australia.

Museums & Art Galleries of the Northern Territory.

University of Virginia, U.S.A.

Flinders University Art Museum.

Macquarie Bank Collection.

Aboriginal Art Museum, The Netherlands.